Believe
by Thalassa Promise
Summary: **CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR KINGDOM HEARTS III** When she thought she had nowhere else to turn, of course he found her. But, would she be able to return the favor?


She wasn't sure when she landed, or where. She remembered darkness, and she remembered fear. She couldn't remember why. Everything was a haze, from the air on her skin to the breath in her throat. Were her eyes opened, or closed? Was she standing, or floating? Was any of this for real, or not?

A warm sensation passed through her center, enveloping her. It spread to the tips of her fingers and the ends of her toes, and suddenly, she was smiling. Despite everything, the sense of dread, the taste of fear, the pain of loss, she smiled. And then, finally, she opened her eyes.

Sprawled out before her was light. Not an abrasive, white light, but a soft glowing rainbow of color. Upon looking down she saw herself. A reflection, mixed in with the glasslike floor. Kairi, she remembered at once, as though she'd never forgotten. She was Kairi. But where she was, she still couldn't say. Regardless, this place was warm, and felt familiar. It felt like home.

The young girl took a hesitant step forward, alarmed for a moment at the resonance the footfall had. The glass beneath her feet squeaked slightly, almost like snow. That was odd; she was sure the ground was much more stable than that. She paid it no mind, however, and continued forward, eyes glued to the dazzling, stained glass floor.

Beneath her feet spread the crystalline blue of the sea, and again she felt a wave of comfort, as though she was standing on the beach of home. Memories rushed to her, the sounds of the ocean crashing against the shore, the smell of salt, the laughter of friends. Friends… that was right. Where had they gone? And where was she?

Her vision flickered and she stumbled, grasping her forehead in her hand. Her chest ached, and the memories of the Destiny Islands were rapidly replaced with a harsher sun and sand, and the fear crept back into her heart. She remembered a tight grip on her wrist, dangling above a chasm… Then nothing. A sharp pain in her back, and then nothing. Had she fallen? If so, to where? Or was her fate far worse than that?

"_Kairi!"_

His voice called out to her, and again she stopped, clutching her chest this time and letting out a quiet whimper. His voice was the last thing she'd heard until she'd awakened here, and her eyes trailed up the floor to where the sea met the sky.

Sora.

So that was what had happened then? Had she been…? She didn't want to think the words, they were too foreign to her. No, she and Sora had their oath, there was no way anything could separate them. With those thoughts, her eyes fell on a form on the ground ahead of her, etched into the stained glass. A shaky breath, laced with both happiness and sorrow, passed her lips. Now she remembered where she stood, and why it seemed so familiar. She remembered as she looked upon Sora's image at her feet and smiled.

This was Sora's heart.

So, that was all then. She had simply lost her heart once more, and it had brought her here. Sad though she was, she couldn't help but feel relief wash over her. If she was inside his heart, then she would be safe. And she would do anything in her power to keep his heart safe from the darkness as well.

Now complacent with her surroundings, Kairi made her way to where the stained glass Sora rested his hand upon his leg, and sat beside him. He was very large compared to the real thing; in fact, the real Sora was rather small. The thought made her giggle, and she could almost hear Riku teasing him as he protested the comment. Wherever they were, she was confident they would be safe. Inside Sora's heart, one could never know how much time had passed, or how long it would be until they saw the realm of light once again.

"I believe in him," Kairi whispered to herself, her soft voice echoing through the light in the darkness. "As long as I believe in him, I know he will be okay."

And so she sat. And she waited. She waited with faith overflowing from her heart, her eyes turned upward into the dark from which she knew, someday, would become light.

All was still. All was silent. At some point, Kairi must have shut her eyes. There wasn't much to do here but rest. The air was still and pleasant, but gradually, it became warmer, as though the sun was beating its rays onto her face. Curious, she opened her eyes.

A small, flickering light had appeared overhead. A happy gasp passed her lips, and she stood up quickly, reaching toward it. She knew he would come for her, just like he always did.

The light flickered, and then went out.

Kairi's hand slowly fell back to her side as she kept her gaze fixed on where the light had been. Where did it go? Why did it leave? Had another heart entered Sora's, to join her?

"Kairi!"

His voice was so sudden, so immediate that it shook her, making her spin around and nearly fall over. There, on the other side of the platform, was Sora, carefully making his way toward her.

"Sora!"

Her heart filled with joy and she couldn't stop herself from taking off at a run toward him. The glass ground groaned in protest, but she didn't care. As she ran to him, she saw a smile light up his face and he too darted forward. Closer, closer, and then…

The ground shuddered and Kairi stumbled forward, but her arm was caught by a firm grip. She looked up into Sora's face and she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

"I knew you could do it," she said, straightening up, sliding her hand into his. He smiled too, but there was something guarded about it. It wasn't the same carefree smile she was used to, and for some reason all of this felt far too familiar. His eyes flickered from her a moment to the ground, then back to her, and his smile faltered.

"What's wrong?" she asked and followed his gaze. Between them, a crack had formed on the floor. The glass had yet to shatter, but the groaning she had heard from the ground began to make sense. The crack splintered out from between them, stretching far across the stained glass.

"Nothing's wrong, exactly," Sora answered, and despite this his smile returned, more genuine this time. "But we should probably get away from that." He looked away from her to examine their surroundings, then, without releasing her hand, carefully maneuvered over the crack, testing the space with his toes before committing his whole weight to it.

"We should go to the center. It should be sturdier there." He pulled her along, walking carefully, and Kairi followed suit. She watched each of her steps, and the faintest splinters trickled out from beneath her feet. None too deep, but enough to cause her worry. She didn't dare take her eyes off the floor, but she wanted desperately to look up at Sora. He knew what was going on, and the fact that he wouldn't tell her had her concerned.

They finally paused at the center of the platform, where the cobwebs of breaking glass had disappeared. Sora had kept her hand in his grasp the whole time, and even now as they stopped, he didn't let go.

"Sorry about that," he said, the slightest laugh in his voice. "And I didn't mean to spook you either. Looks like I caught you a little off-guard."

Kairi smiled and shook her head.

"No, I knew you'd come. I didn't think for a second you wouldn't," she told him. His smile softened, and he looked away, staring at the ground. Things were silent for a long time, and neither of them moved.

His presence was calming. Any doubt she'd had melted away just by looking at him. Though very little made sense, it didn't matter when they were together. It had happened so sparingly in the past few years; even though they weren't talking or even looking at each other, standing together felt like something she could do for a lifetime.

"So, what happened out there?" she asked quietly. Perhaps things had went poorly, and he was letting himself dwell on it. He was always so optimistic, but sometimes he needed a little push in the right direction. Now she could be there to do that for him.

"Well, we won," he replied, and he looked up to grin at her again. "Everyone came home. Except you." He let go of her hand and faced her. "That's why I'm here. To get you home again."

"That's good news!" Kairi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I knew I didn't have to worry about you, or Riku, or any of the others. Those guys were no match for us. And Xehanort, is he…?"

"Gone. It's… kind of a long story. Aqua and the others can probably explain it better than I can. But I think everything's okay now. The worlds are safe."

_If the worlds are safe, why do you look so sad?_ Kairi wondered, but she didn't dare ask aloud.

"Good. We've worked too hard for too long for it to happen any other way!" she said instead. "So… now we get out of here, right?"

"That's the plan." Sora's eyes fell again. This time, Kairi took a step toward him and placed a hand on his arm.

"Sora?"

"Sorry, I was just… thinking about things. We should get you out of here." He picked up his chin and flashed her a grin.

"I think you owe me an explanation," she interrupted, and Sora blinked in surprised, taking half a step back.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, this is different from last time," she explained slowly. "The last time I left here, you didn't show up. There was a light, and suddenly I was in Hollow Bastion, and you disappeared. You turned into a Heartless, remember? But you're here now, so does that mean you're not going to turn into a Heartless this time?"

"I hope not. That'd be really embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?"

They laughed and fell quiet, threatening to fall to that silence once again. It wasn't a deafening silence, but she couldn't stop herself from speaking.

"So…? Why is this different?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Sora's shoulders slumped, such a subtle change that Kairi almost missed it. He let out a slow breath and his gaze fixated on the stained glass version of himself, its red reflected in the blue of his eyes. For a moment, she wasn't sure he would answer her. He seemed lost, even though she could feel his skin under her fingers, the pair standing inches apart. Subconsciously, her hand squeezed his arm, and she could tell it took a conscious effort from him not to look over at her.

"Kairi, what do you know about the power of waking?" Sora asked suddenly.

"Um, not much. Just what you told me and what I overheard Master Yen Sid explaining to Riku. You… had it in the Sleeping Worlds, but then lost it, right?"

"Yeah, and I lost it because I kept diving too deep into the darkness, trying to reach the hearts inside me. At least, that's what we thought. Turns out, that power just kind of sleeps in me, and only works when I really need it to, with all my heart."

"Oh, I see… That's good, isn't it? It means you didn't lose anything in the first place!"

"That's right. All that hassle and it was just sleeping inside me the whole time. That seems to be the answer to all my problems lately." He let out a laugh, and it was real. Kairi giggled softly in response, but now it was her turn to hide behind a smile.

"Is that what you're doing now?" she asked. "You have to use the power of waking to bring me back?"

"Yep. I'm pretty much a pro at it now." He tore his gaze from the ground and met her eyes, puffing out his chest and smiling confidently. "I could probably have a really cool title, like… um… 'Sora the… Alarm Clock…?'"

Kairi giggled.

"What about 'Sora the Waker'?"

"Oh yeah, that. That sounds way cooler."

The pair smiled and chuckled quietly for a moment, and then Sora's face fell as he let out another long, low sigh.

"You look tired," Kairi said softly, studying his face. His eyes didn't hold the same light they usually did, and even his breathing seemed labored. She felt as though if she gave him a little shove, he'd fall right over, and maybe even fall asleep. She thought of how many times she'd found him snoozing on the beach of the Destiny Islands before all of this adventuring had happened, and a slight burning sensation spread through her chest. Why did it feel like that would never happen again?

"I… yeah. Waking people up is hard, I found out," he answered at a length. "Takes a lot more out of me than I thought it would."

"You can rest a bit before we go."

"No, I don't think that will help. Besides, I want you to get home as soon as possible. You deserve it."

Kairi lifted her hand from his arm and took a small step backwards.

"You keep saying 'you.'"

Sora swallowed, but wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Kairi, you see the cracks in the floor over there?"

He pointed, and she followed his finger to the large crack where they'd been reunited.

"Yes. I was wondering about those."

"Those aren't the only ones. Look over there."

He shifted his stance, and pointed to the other side of the platform. Upon examining the rest of the platform, a light gasp passed her lips as she saw several cracks spread throughout the platform, each on the edge, seeming to spread towards the center.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Well, this place is my heart, right? So all those cracks must be how much pressure I've put it under."

"Are you going to be alright?"

Sora didn't reply right away, but did finally look up and meet her eyes. She expected them to be sad, but instead, a faint light shined behind them.

"We'll just have to see. Now, we should get you out of here."

"Sora, wait."

She crossed the floor to him quickly, again grabbing his arm. He seemed surprised at her sudden closeness, but didn't recoil. Rather, he seemed to lean into her embrace, and the smallest of grins pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"If you get me out of here, what will happen to you? To your heart? It won't break, will it?"

Sora shook his head.

"I don't know. But I didn't come all this way just to leave you behind again."

A small gasp escaped her, and her hold on him only tightened.

"But I don't want to leave you behind either."

"It's not really leaving me behind. I'm always with you, remember?" He smiled and pointed at her chest.

"Being in my heart isn't good enough. I want you with me. I want to be by your side, Sora. I'm tired of you having to rescue me."

"Then… how about you rescue me this time?"

The sudden question surprised her. She searched his face, trying to understand, but he continued to smile as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Still, he didn't move, and neither did she, unwilling to release him.

"All of this waking and diving into people's hearts, it's definitely taken its toll," he continued, seeming to take her silence as confusion. "So yeah, I might not be able to come with you right away. But that's okay, because you promised me, remember? You promised you'd protect me. I'm holding up my end of the deal, so now it'll be your turn."

Kairi shook her head, not because she didn't understand, but because she didn't want to. Leaving him, under any circumstances, was no longer in question. They had been separated too many times, pulled apart by worlds and villains alike. Now that everything was right, they deserved to be together. It couldn't end like this.

"How? How will I know what to do?" she asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper. Her mouth moved without her consent; she couldn't be agreeing to this!

"You follow your heart, of course," he replied simply, like he was simply chatting about the weather. "I wasn't joking about the whole 'our hearts are connected' thing. It helps out a lot more than you'd think."

She thought for a moment. Deep down, she knew he was right. She was sure there was no way around this. The crack that had appeared when Sora had arrived proved there was no other way. Either she was leaving, or neither of them would, and she couldn't let Sora's sacrifice be in vain.

"Okay," was all she could manage, and she realized she was trembling. He seemed to notice, too, as he pulled the arm she was grasping closer to his side, then wrapped his free arm around her shoulders.

"Do I have to leave right now?" she asked, her voice small and barely audible.

"Soon. I think I can put it off a little longer though."

She didn't reply. The two of them stood, together, in each other's embrace, not speaking. There were no words they needed to say. All that was needed was the warmth of the other, standing as one.

They stayed like this for a long while. The slight creaking of the glass beneath their feet continued, but it was invisible to them, focused only on the other's presence. Kairi was the first to pull back, but only slightly, enough to tilt her head up and look at his face.

"I'm… ready," she said firmly.

"You sure?" Sora asked, and his hold on her showed no signs of loosening.

"Yes. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can bring you back, right?"

A bright smile flashed across his features.

"That's the Kairi I know. Yeah, of course."

"Then, I'm definitely ready."

Slowly, he relaxed his grip and Kairi backed out of his arms. She held her hands up to her chest, trying to quell the burning sadness and rush of adrenaline she was suddenly feeling. She'd made her decision; she couldn't back down now. She gave Sora a short nod, which he returned, and then he held out his hand.

In a flash of brilliant, white light, his Keyblade materialized into his hand, and he seemed lost in thought as he stared at it. His eyes flickered up to meet Kairi's and he lowered the weapon, still smiling, though it had become smaller.

"You should probably stand back," he warned her, but she shook her head.

"Mm mm," she hummed. "We do this together."

A breathy laugh escaped him.

"Alright."

Grasping the Keyblade with both hands, he held it out and gave it a little shake, nodding at Kairi. A small smile broke across her face and she nodded back, standing beside him and putting her hands over his on the hilt of the blade. Instinctively, she closed her eyes, and at once a rush of wind fluttered up beneath her. It wasn't harsh, but warm and calming, like the ocean breeze. She felt as light as air, and when she opened her eyes, she saw they had somehow ended up floating above the platform.

Tentatively, she glanced up at Sora, but his eyes were closed, as though he was focusing very hard. A brief look of pain crossed his expression, but it mellowed out just as swiftly, and again he was grinning. Kairi swallowed, but she turned her eyes back toward the tip of the Keyblade as the light gathered there, forming an orb. The orb continued to grow, and just as it seemed like it could get no larger, a beam of light fired from it, rocketing down to the platform.

The beam connected with the center of the stained glass Sora's chest, and a loud click could be heard, resonating and shaking even the air above the station. Suddenly frightened, she shot her attention back up to Sora as his eyes fluttered open. His breathing suddenly became very steady, calmer than it had been since she'd been with him. He flicked his eyes to her for a moment before looking back at the platform, and gave a little nod toward it, as if guiding her gaze.

She obeyed and looked down to see the light spreading out to cover the entire platform in white. Slowly, forms seemed to rise from the ground, making shapes she couldn't quite recognize. They reached up toward the pair, and soon they were standing among them, no longer in the air.

Sora lowered the Keyblade, forcing it from her grasp, and it disappeared in a shimmer. His hand reached for hers, and she took it. He stepped back and she followed, finding a form behind them. Sora easily hopped onto it, taking a seat, and pulled Kairi along with him, who sat close to his side.

"What's happening?" she asked after a moment.

"You're going back. I've never seen it happen like this, though."

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Does that mean you're coming with me?"

He shook his head.

"I don't think so. I already feel… different. Look."

She followed his gaze back to where the platform had been. Beneath the shining light, the stained glass could faintly be seen, and the cracks around its edges were webbing gradually toward the center.

"Usually, when I wake someone up, I come out of my heart faster than they do. If we're both still here, I guess that means I'm not coming out this time."

His voice was strangely calm.

"You thought about this a lot, didn't you?"

"From the moment you disappeared. I'll be honest, at first, I didn't know what to do. I was completely lost. But, I knew you would never give up, so I decided neither would I. Once everything was at peace in the realm of light, I knew what I had to do."

He fell quiet, but he didn't need to explain any more. She understood. He had known the consequences, and still he had decided this was the right thing to do. Part of her was angry and frustrated; he shouldn't have made this decision on his own. The other part of her, however, couldn't blame him. If the tables were turned, she would have done the same thing. When it came to Sora, the consequences didn't matter.

"Sora, I'm scared."

To her surprise, he let out a quiet laugh.

"Me too. But, I believe in you."

She tore her gaze away from the splintering platform and found that he was staring at her. Her own eyes danced around his face, as if trying to memorize every inch of it. She had forgotten him once; it would never happen again. This time, it_ couldn't_ happen. When her eyes met up with his again, she saw they weren't faltering or darting around. Rather, they stayed steady, focused on her.

Her hand still in his, she scooted closer to him, then rested her head on his shoulder. She was shaking, but the second she leaned on him, her tremors ceased. He was still, too, and warm. Next she knew, he had rested his head atop hers, his messy spikes tickling her ears as he settled. She could feel his breath as it calmly brushed her hair, and it only made her nuzzle into him closer.

The shimmering light was nearly deafening as the world seemed to fill in around them, and it was soon accompanied by another sound: The ocean. The smell of salt rushed to her as the horizon fell into view, sea and sky touching once again before her. An orange light began to form, solidifying into a ball, the sun beating warmly on them. The waves grew louder, and slowly, Sora lifted his head.

"Thank you, Kairi," he said quietly, and she raised her head to look at him. He was smiling at her, as she'd come to expect, and there wasn't a hint of sadness to it. "I'll see you soon, right?"

"Yes. I promise," she replied. Somehow, her voice wasn't shaking. Even though she knew she should be overwhelmed by the impending loss, she couldn't be. Not with that smile shining on her. Maybe he knew that. Maybe that's how he could be so brave.

At once, the sound of the waves swelled, and it wasn't just the ocean Kairi heard. It was the sound of glass, shattering, finally giving way under all its weight. Sora's hand tightened around hers. One moment, she was staring into his eyes. The next, he was gone.

The warmth stayed on her hand for a few moments before it, too, slowly ebbed away, replaced by the cool breeze of the Destiny Islands. Her eyes, still locked on where he'd been, refocused ahead on the Paopu fruits hanging from the tree she was perched upon.

"I believe in him," she said, the tears finally starting to fall. "As long as I believe in him, I know he will be okay."


End file.
